Making Copper: Processing in Early Bronze Age Arslantepe (VI B2)

Archaeometallurgical analysis of Arslantepe Mound (VI B2) reveals that Early Bronze Age copper smelting was conducted using portable crucibles with a sophisticated air supply system, challenging the prevailing model of deliberate fluxing. Lead isotope and petrology studies of slags trace copper sources across East Anatolia, including regions along the Black Sea coast (Artvin/Murgul, Trabzon) and Upper Mesopotamia (Ergani Maden), expanding our understanding of the Kura-Araxes cultural network's trade routes during this period. The research also demonstrates that slags from Arslantepe, Çayönü Tepesi, and Nevali Çori formed through partial eutectic smelting processes, ruling out the non-liquation of refractory materials.

Hauptmann, A., Heil, N., Di Nocera, G. M., & Stöllner, T. (2022). Making Copper: Processing in Early Bronze Age Arslantepe (VI B2). Metalla, 26(2), 113–140. https://doi.org/10.46586/metalla.v26.2022.i2.113-140